Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s2: § 4. Najib Khan's defences at Shukartal described

Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s2

Language: English

§ 4. Najib Khan's defences at Shukartal described

v2.c27.s2.1

The sagacious Ruhela veteran matured a masterly scheme of defence, which enabled his small force to withstand the myriads of Mahārāshtra for nearly six months and triumph in the end. Some sixteen miles due east of the city of Muzaffarnagar, there is a low place on the right bank of the Ganges, named Shukartal.†

v2.c27.s2.2

∗ These Sayyids were Shias, while Najib was the Sunni champion. Moreover, he had snatched away many of their estates in the district round Mirānpur.

v2.c27.s2.3

† Shukartal,—N.W.P. Gazetteer, iii. 444-446, 641-642 (description.) Siege,—TALS. 210-213. SPD. xxix. 56. Raj. i. 142-146; ii. p. 153. DC. Nur-ud-din, 22b-27b. Govind Ballal's raid east of the Ganges,—TALS. 210b. Mux. 171-174. Raj. i. 138-142.

v2.c27.s2.4

Along the western side of it stretches the edge of the upland running north to south parallel to the river. North, east and south of Shukartal there are numberless tortuous ravines sloping down to the river, the loose sandy bed and sides of which render the terrain impossible for cavalry, while they afford excellent opportunity to foot musketeers to dig themselves in and form perfect ambushes. In the north of the place, a bend in the Salāni (a feeder of the Ganges) formed an effective natural cover, while the entire eastern flank for many miles above and below was protected by the mighty Ganges and its network of channels, parted by sandy islands. Najib completed this natural fortress by forming entrenchments and redoubts, and mounting guns and posting his sharpshooters towards the west and south-west, whence only an enemy could approach. Thus, a perfect sunken fort was formed which only starvation could have made untenable in the age before the invention of modern shells. But the fear of starvation was removed by Najib throwing a bridge of boats over the Ganges south-east of his entrenchments, in an absolutely safe position, unless the enemy could cross the mighty river and storm the fortified bridgehead on the left bank, which was impossible during the rainy season just then beginning.

v2.c27.s2.5

Here Najib retired with his army at the end of June, and here the Marathas followed him up in a few days. Dattāji encamped two miles west of Shukartal. Finding the enemy's position impregnable to assault, he prepared to besiege it, and built a large redoubt of his own a mile from the first line of Najib's trenches. Skirmishes began on the debatable land between the two camps, accompanied by a fruitless exchange of gunfire.

v2.c27.s2.6

¹ SPD. xl. 126. Nur-ud-din, 25-26. Husain Shahi, 47-48. Siyar, iii. 62.

v2.c27.s2.7

§ 5. Dattāji's siege of Shukartal ; fighting.

v2.c27.s2.8

A severe engagement took place on 15th September, when the Ruhela skirmishers advanced too far into the Maratha lines, and Dattāji, after detaching a small force to keep them in play in front, made a detour with 7,000 select cavalry to cut off their retreat. But the eagle eye of Najib detected the manœuvre from the line of dust raised by these horsemen, and he prepared for it by posting ten thousand Ruhela infantry with loaded flint-locks in ambush in a dry *nālā* bordering the path of Dattāji's advance. The Ruhela skirmishers fell back towards their entrenchment and the front division of the Marathas gave them chase. Just then Dattāji arrived on the scene at the gallop, and "from the midst of the dust cloud the naked *pattas* (long swords) and spears of the well-mounted Deccani troopers flashed like lightning. As soon as they approached the Ruhela trenches and the artillery was turned on them with effect, they swerved aside towards the *nālā*. Two thousand muskets [at a time] were discharged at them when only twenty paces from the ambush, so that in the force under Dattāji corpses were piled up in heaps. It came to such a pass that a Ruhela seized the bridle of Jankoji with one hand and slashed at him with his sword with the other, inflicting a wound on his arm. The assailant was cut down and Jankoji brought back to safety.” The Bārha Sayyid allies fought with their customary valour in the van of the Marathas and were mostly cut off. Five hundred Deccani troopers and many good horses were killed, while the loss on Najib’s side was 50 killed, and one hundred wounded. His manœuvre having failed, Dattāji retreated in order to his camp. “From that day the Marathas ceased to make assaults.” * But skirmishing went on as before, with no result.

Linked texts (1)

Selections from the Peshwa Daftar — Marathi